WHERE LEGISLATORS FIND THE ANSWERS ON AG AND RURAL POLICY

The promised event is coming, the 2019 Legislative Ag Chairs Summit will be held in conjunction with the world-famous Calgary Stampede. While the Summit is not until July, 2019, because the Stampede draws more than a million visitors, hotel registrations need to occur a year in advance.

One of the first changes you’ll see relative to the 2019 SARL is that you’ll be making your own hotel reservations directly with the hotel and you’ll need to provide a credit card to guarantee the reservation. If you are an elected official or invited speaker, SARL will move your hotel registration to the master bill once your registration is received. If you are not an elected official, you will be responsible for your hotel room. Worried about changing your mind about attending? Don’t be. Our room block is limited, so we will keep a waiting list of attendees to fill rooms for people who decide not to attend. Room reservations are on a first come, first serve basis.

All attendees, if you need to cancel, please contact Carolyn Orr as soon as possible, the room will be moved to a special hold status, so that it can be provided to those on the wait list.

This is an invitation-only Summit, and all of your on-site expenses (three nights room, - generally Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - registration, meals and all Summit activities) are covered by State Agriculture and Rural Leaders, a federal 501 c(3) non-profit. If you want additional room nights, you will need to cover them at a cost of $249 CD ($190 USD) per night.

During the 2018 Annual Meeting, SARL members voted to make the 2019 Summit really different. The majority of policy sessions will be led by you, the true experts on state policy. Think of the really good agriculture, natural resource or rural legislation/policy/ programs that your state considered, passed or accomplished administratively. We want you to tell us about them.

Need some ideas? Just this year Rhode Island implemented a Farmland Acquisition Program, buying farms at development price and selling them at agriculture value; Tennessee has an Ag Enterprise Fund program; Kentucky has the Agricultural Development Fund; Illinois has a Solar for All program, Missouri is going through a battle on a Working Animal Protection bill while Idaho is reworking their trespass legislation.

You will need to self-nominate the policy topic you want to speak on or have included in the agenda. The Board will then sort through the nominations and set up the agenda. Travel funds will be reserved for those legislators who are active in some aspect of the Summit. You will have to lead a session or serve as a session moderator to receive travel assistance.

And the Board agreed that 2019 will be different for our private industry members as well. From founding, we have not allowed sponsors on the agenda, to avoid any appearance of pay for play. But in 2019, sponsors will be allowed to submit state or company programs they think are exceptional and want to feature. So there might be legislation related to right to repair that an equipment association might want to highlight. There might be support animal legislation that an animal organization thinks needs brought forward. Once again, our private industry members will need to submit the session topic and their suggested speaker (could be themselves) and the Board will decide on what and how to use it.

The days are a little different too. Our site visit day will be Sunday, July 14, spent entirely at the Calgary Stampede. Then Monday (July 15) will be a full day of discussion of state issues and Tuesday will be a half day of discussion of Federal issues. This is followed by optional field trips on Tuesday afternoon of agriculture in the Calgary area.

We do hope that you will be able to join us in Calgary. Initial elected official registration is limited to attendees at the 2017 and 2018 Summit, if you have someone in mind that didn’t attend one of these Summits, that should be included (like someone newly elected) please contact Carolyn Orr about available spaces.

The State Ag and Rural Leaders group was formed as a 501 c(3) non-profit in 2006 at the 5th Annual Legislative Ag Chairs Summit in Tempe, Arizona. The first Legislative Ag Chairs Summit was in Dallas in 2002.